Up to $238.2M to American Overseas Marine for Cargo Ship Maintenance
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American Overseas Marine, a Quincy, MA-based unit of General Dynamics, received a $27.2 million firm-fixed-price contract for the operation and maintenance of 7 government-owned Bob Hope-class large medium-speed roll-on/roll-off ships (LMSRs).
This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $238.2 million.
These civilian-crewed ships have more than 380,000 square feet of cargo-carrying capacity (equivalent to 5 football fields), reinforced decks, shipboard cranes, interior ramps, slewing stern ramp and a movable ramp that services 2 side ports; they are used for fast loading and off-loading of out-sized military equipment, including tanks, trucks, Humvees and other rolling stock…
LMSRs have been the primary movers of US military equipment for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Military Sealift Command’s LMSR fleet consists of 19 US government-owned, noncombatant ships that helped to offset the shortage of militarily useful cargo ships available in the commercial sector.
The 7 Bob Hope-class ships were built by Northrop Grumman Ship Systems’ Avondale Operations in New Orleans, LA and delivered to the Navy between 1998 and 2003. They are:
- USNS Bob Hope (T-AKR 300)
- USNS Fisher (T-AKR 301)
- USNS Seay (T-AKR 302)
- USNS Mendonca (T-AKR 303)
- USNS Pililaau (T-AKR 304)
- USNS Brittin (T-AKR 305)
- USNS Benavidez (T-AKR 306)
Features of the LMSRs ships include:
- Each LMSR can carry an entire US Army Task Force, including 58 tanks, 48 other tracked vehicles, as well as more than 900 trucks and other wheeled vehicles.
- The LMSRs are each crewed by approximately 30 civilian mariners who work for private companies under contract to the Military Sealift Command.
- Each LMSR has a slewing stern ramp and a removable ramp that services 2 side ports to drive vehicles on and off the ship.
- Interior ramps allow traffic flow between decks.
- Two single pedestal twin cranes which can jointly lift 110-tons make loading and off-loading possible where shoreside infrastructure is limited or nonexistent.
- A helicopter deck allows for emergency landings.
The American Overseas Marine contract includes 4 one-year option periods and 5 six-month award term periods. For 6 of the 7 Bob Hope-class LMSRs, work will be performed at US East Coast, Gulf Coast and West Coast ports where the ships will be primarily maintained in reduced operating status. When needed, these 6 ships may be activated and fully crewed to transport US military equipment worldwide. For the 7th Bob Hope-class LMSR, work will be performed at sea in support of the US Marine Corps’ afloat prepositioning mission.
The contract is expected to be completed in February 2011; if all options are exercised, completion date will be September 2017. This contract was competitively procured via the Military Sealift Command, Navy Electronic Commerce Online and the Federal Business Opportunities Web site, with more than 50 proposals solicited and 7 offers received by the Military Sealift Command in Washington, DC (N00033-10-C-5300).
